This book examines an interdependent approach to happiness and well-being, one that contrasts starkly with dominant approaches that have originated from Western culture(s). It highlights the diversity of potential pathways towards happiness and well-being globally, and answers calls - voiced in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals - for more socially and environmentally sustainable models. Leading global organizations including the OECD, UNICEF, and UNESCO are now proposing human happiness and well-being as a more sustainable alternative to a myopic focus on GDP growth. Yet, the definition of well-being offered by these organizations derives largely from the philosophies, social sciences, and institutional patterns of Europe and the United States. Across seven chapters this book carefully probes the inadequacy of these approaches to well-being globally and reveals the distorting effect this has on how we imagine our world, organize institutions, and plan our collective future(s). It shares a wealth of evidence and examples from across East Asia - a region where interdependence remains foregrounded - and concludes by provocatively arguing that interdependence may provide a more sustainable approach to happiness and well-being in the 21st century. A timely and accessible book, it offers fresh insights for scholars and policymakers working in the areas of psychology, health, sociology, education, international development, public policy, and philosophy. This is an open access book.

This book examines how Africa can secure a 'just transition' to low-carbon, climate-resilient economies.

Due to natural factors and human activity, nature has been changing since the beginning of time. As the environment continuously undergoes such transitions, it is necessary for society to understand the complex interdependency between nature and humanity to promote global sustainability. Promoting Global Environmental Sustainability and Cooperation is a pivotal reference source featuring the latest scholarly research on the rising awareness of environmental issues and their relationships with sustainable development. While highlighting topics including global governance, international business, and sustainable consumption, this book is ideally designed for environmentalists, developers, policy makers, academicians, researchers, and graduate-level students seeking current research on the globalized world in relation to environmental issues.

The degradation of our life-enhancing planet Earth has resulted in climate change, desertification, wild fires, livestock mortality, microbial ecosystem alteration, floods, extreme weather conditions, economic meltdown, poverty, resource conflicts, disease, death, and desperate migration from the most vulnerable regions. Africa, the world`s hottest continent, has deserts and drylands that cover about 60 percent of its land surface area and remains the most vulnerable continent to climate change. At the same time, Africa is the world's second most populous continent and is projected soon to be the most populous. Dr. Popoola's work highlights the uniqueness of Africa and the extent of its vulnerability to global climate change as well as its advantages and limitations in context of current mitigation and adaptation strategies. Africa and Climate Change is an indispensable guide to ensuring global food security, sustainable livelihoods, and ecosystem survival, not only in Africa, but in other less vulnerable continents.

Sustainability issues have gained more importance in contemporary globalization, pushing decision makers to find a systematic mathematical approach to conduct analyses of this real-world problem. The growing complexity in modern social-economics or engineering environments or systems has forced researchers to solve complicated problems by using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approaches. However, traditional MCDM research mainly focuses on reaching the highest economic value or efficiency, and issues related to sustainability are still not closely explored. Advanced Multi-Criteria Decision Making for Addressing Complex Sustainability Issues discusses and addresses the challenges in the implementation of decision-making models in the context of green and sustainable engineering, criteria identification, quantification, comparison, selection, and analysis in the context of manufacturing, supply chain, transportation, and energy sectors. All academic communities in the areas of management, economics, business sciences, mechanical, and manufacturing technologies are able to use, apply, and implement the models presented in this book. It is intended for researchers, manufacturers, engineers, managers, industry professionals, academicians, and students.

The reach of technological advances can be found in many aspects of life, including the world of healthcare. It is essential to understand these social technologies so that those in healthcare professions can create and maintain bonds with the patients that rely on them. Technological Tools for Value-Based Sustainable Relationships: Emerging Research and Opportunities is a critical scholarly resource that examines the effects of social technologies on human interaction in the areas of health and life science. Featuring coverage on a wide range of topics such as self-efficacy management, e-health, and patient relationship management, this book is geared toward academicians, practitioners, students, and researchers seeking current research on the correlation between social technologies and the cultivation of connections through those technologies especially in the healthcare field.

Designers provide creative solutions for user problems and identify the needs of users in a given environment. However, it is often difficult to understand the social design of a product or service. Practice and Progress in Social Design and Sustainability is a critical scholarly resource that provides groundbreaking research on social contributions to design. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as rural sustainability, ecological farmhouse designs, and community public spaces, this book is geared towards architects, designers, program planners, entrepreneurs, and engineers seeking information about design for resolving social issues.

This book focuses specifically on the environmental issues related to the air pollution control and design. It is divided into four parts: (1) Fundamentals of air pollution control, (2) fundamentals of energy utilization, (3) gaseous control and design, and (4) particulate control and design, each consisting of four to six chapters. The topics covered in this book not only introduce the basic concepts of air pollution control and design but also address the fundamentals of energy utilization in the context of good engineering practice and policy instruments. It also features several innovative technologies and integrated methodologies relating to gaseous and particulate matter control and design. To facilitate technology integration and meet the need for comprehensive information on sustainable development, the book discusses a wide range of areas concerning the principles, applications, and assessment of air pollution control and design and thermodynamics, heat transfer, advanced combustion and renewable energy for energy utilization. It also features regulations and policy instruments adopted around the globe as well as several case studies. Presenting the emerging challenges, new concepts, innovative methodologies, and resolving strategies, as well as illustrative and inspiring case studies, it appeals to a wide range of readers, such as researchers, graduate students, engineers, policy makers, and entrepreneurs.

The European Union's renewable energy policy is one of the most ambitious attempts to facilitate a transition towards more sustainable energy systems. This book provides a comprehensive guide to the policy and its implementation. It contains key case studies for understanding how member states have shaped the policy, how the EU has affected the policies of its member states and how renewable energy policies have diffused horizontally. An analysis of its external dimension is also included. This remarkable guide is the first comprehensive attempt to shed light on the complex dynamics of renewable energy promotion in the European multilevel system. Theoretically driven, the study employs Europeanization as an analytical framework for assessing policy change, both at the EU level and in the member states, and compares the development of renewable energy policies in the electricity and transport sectors from the 1980s to the present. Comprising contributions from leading scholars, the book is an indispensible guide for academics, researchers and students interested in EU energy and climate policies in general and EU renewable energy policy specifically, as well as practitioners and stakeholders involved in renewable energy policy and climate protection. Contributors include: A. Ancygier, M. Bechberger, P. Bocquillon, S. Davidescu, L. Di Lucia, M.R. Di Nucci, H. Dyrhauge, G. Escribano, A. Evrard, J. Fairbrass, R. Fernandez, B. Hirschl, R. Hiteva, T. Hoppe, K. Jankowska, H. Joergens, T. Maltby, D. Ohlhorst, E. OEller, D. Russolillo, I. Solorio, E. van Bueren, T. Vogelpohl

This book covers three topics that have dominated financial market regulation and supervision debates: digital finance, sustainable finance, and the Banking and Capital Markets Union. Within the first part, seven chapters will tackle specific questions arising in digital finance, including but not limited to artificial intelligence, tokenisation, and international regulatory cooperation in digital financial services. The second part addresses one of humanity's most pressing issues today: the climate crisis. The quest for sustainable finance is driven by political actors and a common understanding that climate change is a severe threat. As financial institutions are a cornerstone of human interaction, they are in the regulatory spotlight. The chapters explore sustainability in EU banking and insurance regulation, the interrelationship between systemic risk and sustainability, and the 'greening' of EU monetary policy. The third part analyses two projects that have led to huge structural changes in the European financial market architecture over the last decade: the European Banking Union and Capital Markets Union. This transformation has raised numerous legal questions that can only gradually be answered in all their intricacies. In four chapters, this book examines composite procedures, property rights of depositors in banking resolution, preemptive financing arrangements and the phenomenon of subsidiarisation in the context of Brexit. Of interest to academics, policymakers, practitioners, and students in the field of EU financial regulation, banking law, securities law, and regulatory law, this book offers a compilation of analyses on pressing banking and capital markets law problems.

Current social, economic, and environmental challenges presented by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals may be partially attained by digitalization and sustainable practices diffusion. The antecedents, occurrences, and consequences of this process are currently under investigation, but the big challenge is to get a systemic view. This book attempts to bring such a view into focus. Digital and Sustainable Transformations in a Post-COVID World is dedicated to studying the consequences of the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the new needs and practices inherent in developing and disseminating digital and clean technologies.